The Rialto's Pioneer Award is given annually to distinguished leaders who have contributed significantly to the health and vitality of the city's arts and cultural communities and/or Georgia State's far-reaching mission as a great university in the heart of a major city. It was named to honor the "pioneering spirit" of the remarkable vision that led to the renovation of the Rialto by Georgia State in the early 1990s.

The Honorable Kwanza Hall, downtown advocate and Atlanta City Council representative, is this year's recipient of the Rialto Pioneer Award. The award will be presented at the Rialto's performance of The Idan Raichel & Vieux Farka Touré Quartet - Two Cultures, One Voice: Israel Meets Mali on Saturday, April 21, 2012 at 8 PM.

Councilmember Hall is in his second term on the Atlanta City Council. He represents District 2, the city's most socially and economically diverse district. District 2 includes Downtown and Midtown Atlanta, Castleberry Hill, the Old Fourth Ward, Inman Park, and Poncey-Highland. Georgia State University and the Georgia Institute of Technology are in the district. District 2 is also home to two Nobel Peace prizes, at the King Center and the Carter Presidential Museum and Library.

Tickets to the performance start at $42 and are available at the Rialto Center's box office, (404) 413-9TIX (9849) or www.rialtocenter.org. Group and Georgia State University student discounts are offered for this show. The Rialto Center for the Arts at Georgia State University is located at 80 Forsyth Street NW, Atlanta, Georgia. Free Parking available for all Rialto Series events.

The award is named the "Pioneer" since the renovation of the derelict Rialto theater was a pioneering choice for Georgia State. The restoration served as an anchor for the Fairlie-Poplar district and its renovation turned around the historic area. The Rialto campaign was the first ever for Georgia State, and raised $14M. The area now is well-populated both day and night, with the Helen M. Aderhold Learning Center across the street and the addition of the Commons and the Freshman Hall, both Georgia State dormitories.